Hill pleaded guilty in April to the post-St. Patrick’s Day crime spree, in which a woman was kidnapped and Lusk was shot.

Hill’s co-defendant, Horace Jones, 19, also pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced next week. Jones was in and out of jail twice on robbery charges in the months before the shooting, and Dallas officials have questioned why his bail was so low.

Hill opted to be sentenced by a judge, not a jury.

Lusk’s fiancée, Kristin Vickers, testified that in the year since he was shot, Lusk has been to the hospital about 15 times dealing with related illnesses and infections. He is scheduled for another surgery Wednesday.

“It’s a lot for a 25-year-old man to handle,” said Vickers.

Hill’s family and friends testified on his behalf Friday. Although he pleaded guilty, his lawyer, John Reed, asked the judge for a lenient sentence, saying Hill could be rehabilitated in prison and become a functioning member of society.

His mother, Lisa, said her son deserved to pay the consequences for his actions, but she hoped the judge would show leniency.

“I just ask that his journey forward just not be so much time in prison,” she said.

But prosecutor Chris Pryor asked the judge to sentence Hill to life in prison. The defense argued that life in prison was appropriate for capital murder, but Pryor told the judge this easily could have been a murder case.

“The only difference between capital murderers and this defendant is not about his conduct, but the place the bullet landed,” said Pryor, noting that the bullet came within half an inch of killing Lusk.

Police say Hill and Jones began their crime spree around 12:30 a.m. March 18 at an apartment complex on Vantage Point Drive in Lake Highlands as the first victim sat in her 2010 silver Honda Civic.

A gunman, who police said was Hill, pointed a gun at her, took her purse and forced her to lie on the back floorboard. Another gunman, who police identified as Jones, drove her car to several ATMs trying to withdraw money. Police said they were not able to get any money from the woman.

After they drove to a street near Greenville Avenue just north of the M Streets, they found Lusk at the wheel of his friend’s car in the 5600 block of Ellsworth Avenue. They were about to drive off when police say Hill put a gun to Lusk’s friend’s face. He demanded money and then fired three shots, one of which struck Lusk, traveling through his right kidney, his liver and one of his lungs before severing his spine.

The woman they’d kidnapped testified that after Hill returned to the car he said, “I think I just killed a man; I am God.”

Hill testified on his own behalf and said he was high on cocaine, PCP and marijuana that night and did not remember much of what happened. He said the gun went off accidentally.

Lusk and his family cried at times during Hill’s testimony, many times shaking their heads at his responses. At other times, Lusk was visibly angry.

Hill said he’d followed the lead of Jones, and tried to appear remorseful as he addressed Lusk.

“I want to let you know I’m sorry and if I could change it I would,” said Hill. “I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry.”

The prosecution wasn’t impressed, and Pryor said as much during his closing statement.

“We’ve seen an apology that was practiced,” he said.

State District Judge Larry Mitchell was firm: 20 years for aggravated kidnapping, 25 years for one count of aggravated robbery, and 45 years for the count of aggravated robbery with serious bodily harm, all to be served concurrently.